Considered to be the Washington Capitals top defense prospect not currently playing in the NHL, Madison Bowey is seasoning his game in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. Let’s take a closer look at the player recently ranked as the third overall prospect for the Caps by The Hockey News.
Draft Selection
Selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Capitals, Bowey was tabbed as one of the top defensemen in the player pool that year. Ranked 33rd overall by International Scouting Services prior to the draft, the Caps must have known they were getting a steal when he dropped to them in the middle of the second round.
WHL and World Championships
Bowey began playing in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets after being selected in the 2010 Bantam Draft. He saw his first full season of action with Kelowna in 2011-12, putting up 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) in 57 games with a plus-3 rating on-ice. [pull_quote_right author=”Troy Mann”] All you want from the young kids is progression, and that’s what we’re seeing.[/pull_quote_right]
He increased his points total to 30 the following season, prior to his selection in the draft by Washington. He doubled that point total in his third full season with Kelowna, while increasing his on-ice rating to a stunning plus-44. In April of 2014, he inked his entry-level contract with the Capitals.
Below you’ll see some of Bowey’s play from the 2013 World Under-18 Championships. On display are his strong wrist shot, physical play, and offensive awareness.
Bowey notched 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in Canada’s 7 games during that World U18 Championship campaign which resulted in a gold medal for his country.
During the 2014-15 season for the Kelowna Rockets, playing in 14 fewer games than he did the previous campaign, Bowey matched his points total with 60. In the middle of that season, Bowey participated in the 2015 World Junior Championships with Team Canada. He notched 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) with a plus-8 rating in seven games en route to the Championship.
AHL
Most recently, Bowey has been suiting up for the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Bowey’s play has progressed in his time with Hershey, as was attested by Capitals’ management in a recent article at PennLive: “When [Caps general manager] Brian MacLellan was here recently and watched us play on back-to-back nights, he was encouraged by the improvement in Bowey’s game since the rookie tournament in Florida and the main training camp in September,” Mann said. “All you want from the young kids is progression, and that’s what we’re seeing.”
In his 56 games with the Bears this season, Bowey has garnered 21 points (3 goals, 18 assists) with a plus-18 rating. Working on gap control, which is common for most young defenseman, will be a focus while he is with Hershey. His strength has improved over time, and he continues to show excellent offensive awareness. He will most likely be in the AHL one more season, or at least, part of it before we see him in a Capitals uniform during the regular season.
